The Durham-Chapel Hill Line

A journal of music happenings in the Durham-Chapel Hill scene

The steel wheels keep on turning For those keeping track of the ebb and flow of record stores in Durham and Chapel Hill, there may be the strong silent type of place that's still off your radar. Ground Zero Records in Carrboro is a DJ-centric store that actually opened at the beginning of the summer, but as Chapel Hill and Carrboro are kind of quiet during those months, so was their entry into the area. Its Main Street location next door to the Carrboro Century Center and across the street from the Orange County Social Club is certainly a nice spot for such a shop. Drum 'n' bass is the basis for their selection, and it's primarily vinyl. Wall-to-wall wax, I tell you.

The owners are experienced DJs in their own right, having performed over the last few years up and down the East Coast as Phatmann and Littleboy. They've had a few local nights around the Triangle, hosting a show at Nightlight recently.

The store also has gear for DJs if you're thinking about biting the bullet and getting your own set of decks, or just replacing that worn out needle. It's a comfy place to hang out a bit, too. For more, check out www.groundzerorecords.net, or just stop on by.

Rounding up the new local records and music goings-on:

Erie Choir, a project of Eric Roehrig of Sorry About Dresden, has a new self-released EP out, worked on at the local Spacelab studio.

Imen, a leftfield hip-hop outfit, have added Durham jazz diva Nnenna Freelon's son, Pierce, to their fold. Look for them around town in the coming months.

Durham pop quartet Rocketfire Red has a new self-released CD, titled Year of the Red, that's making the rounds on local radio. Look for it in stores this month.

The Three Torches will go into the studio to record their new EP in December.

New Durham group Dirty Deed has just finished recording their first single also.

Anti-folk movement group The Wigg Report from Durham has signed a deal with N.Y. distributor Olive Juice Music. Their self-titled five-song first release is available at the site olivejuicemusic.com. They are currently in the process of recording for their second release. Members of Malt Swagger and The Three Torches will be doing some of the recording. Look for the disc sometime just after the New Year.